Edwaed s



(No Model.)

E.-S.BUTLEB,.

CARTRIDGE FEED INDICATOR FOR FIRE ARMS. 455.

Patented May 8. 1888.

UNITED STATES PATENT Fries.

EDWARD S. BUTLER, OF NEW' YORK, Y.

CARTRIDGE FEED-INDICATOR FOR FIRE-ARMS.

SPECIFICATION forming-part of Letters Patent No. 382,455, dated May 8;1888. Application filed March 26, 1857. Serial K0. 232.483. (No model.)

' New York, in the county and State ofNew York, have invented a certainnew and useful Improvement in Fire-Arms, of which the fol in alignmentwith the barrel. The carrier is lowing is a specification.

My improvement relates to magazine fire arms.

The object of the improvement is to afford a simple and convenient meansfor ascertaining the-number of cartridges contained at any time in themagazine.

I will-describe in detail a magazine fire-arm embodying my improvement,and then point the carrier, line with the barrel.

out the novel features in claims. r t In the accompanying drawings,Figure 1 is a. side view of a fire arm embodying my improvement, certainparts being shown in sec Lion-to exhibit the improvement. Fig. 2 isaview of the lower side of the magazine and certain appurtenancesthereof. Fig. 3 is a side view .of the magazine detached. transversesection of the magazine, showing an end-view of the follower or pusherthereof which'serves to propel the cartridges toward whereby they areintroduced into Fig; 5 is a side view of certain parts illustrating amodification of my improvement. Fig. 6 is a similar view, illustratingstill another modification of the improvement. Fig. 7 is a similar viewof another modification. Fig. 8 illustrates a modification of themagazine.

Similar letters of reference designatecorresponding parts in all thefigures.

While my improvement is applicable generally to magazine fire-arms, Ihave in Figs.'

1, 2, 3, and 4 shown it as applied only with reference to the type offire-arm known as the Winchester. I do not, however, desire to restrictmyself to the application of the improvement to such fire-arm.

It will be unnecessary to describe the firearm which I have represented,except in a very general way.

A designates the barrel.

B designates a magazine consisting'ofa tubeextending lengthwise of thebarrel and under the lower side of the same. This magazine is ofordinary form, except that it is provided with a longitudinal slot, 12,through which extends a pin, b, which is connected to the follower orFig. 4 is a pusher b whereby the cartridges are moved toward the breechof the fire-arm into a carrier of well-known character, whereby they areat the proper time shifted from a position in alignment with themagazine to a position made in the form of a block and operated by aguard-lever, O.

of a piston fitting theinterior of the magazinetube. It is moved towardthe carrier-block by means of a spring, b arrangedwit-hinthemagazine-tuhe between the forward end of the latter and the saidfollower or pusher.

The pin b, which is attached. to the follower or pusher b of themagazine and protrudes through the slotb thereof, is fastened to astrip, tape, or ribbon, D, which may be made of any desirable material-The twoends of the tape or ribbon are securely fastened to the said pin.The tape or ribbon passes around guides dd, which are affixed to oneside of the magazine, andmay consist of pins or of pulleys journaled inany suitable manner. As shown, the guides d d are supported in bracketsforming part of a frame, D, fitted to the magazine The tape or ribbonhas figures marked upon it in any suitable manner.

The casing E, covering the magazine, is provided at a certain point-inthe present instance at about the middle of its lengthwith an opening,e, (shown indotted outline in Fig. 1,) which may be covered with anytransparent material to admit of the figures upon'the tape 'or ribbonbeingseen one ata time through the casing. That portion of the tape orribbon only which bearsthe figures constitutes an indicator.

As the tape or ribbon always moves in proportion to the movement of thefollower or pusher, it will be evident that if the figures are properlyspaced upon the tape or ribbon one of them may always be made to appearthrough-the opening e of the casing E to indicate the number ofcartridges remaining in the magazine.

.60 i The follower or pusher b is made in the form It will be borne inmind'that when the cartridge is inserted the follower or pusher will becaused to move forwardly, and that when the guard-lever is operated toeffect the ejection of an empty cartridge-shell and to shift a,cartridge from alignment with the magazine roo . tionary shaft, d,

described example of the magazine and after the removal of cartridges.

therefrom the number contained therein.

Turning now to Fig. 5, it will be seen that insteadof an indicator upona tape or ribbon I use a strip made in the form of a bar, D, havinggear-teeth upon one of its edges, and

- bearing upon its outer face a series of figures,

which are intended to be'visible one at a time through an opening in anyinclosing part of thefire-arm in which it may befound convenient toarrange said strip or bar. The teeth of the strip or bar I) engage-withthe t ceth of a pinion, D, which is affixed to a spring-barrel, d,mounted loosely on a staand having fastened to it one end of a convolutespring, d. of this convolnte spring is'attached to shaft d. A tape orribbomD, is fastened at one end to the spring-barrel,wound several timesaround the latter, and at the other end secured to the follower orpusher of the magazine of a firearm. When the follower or pusher movesin one direction, the convolute spring will wind up, and in so doingrotate the shaftIcarrying the pinion I) and cause the latter to move thestrip or bar D longitudinally in one direction. When the follower orpusher moves in the reverse direction, it will pull the spring, andthereby effect the rotation of the pinion D in such direction that thelatter will adjust the strip oribar D in the reverse direction.

The'example of my invention illustrated in Fig. 6' operates in the samemanner as the lastimprovement, exemploy a plate of circular form bearingupon the outer surface a series of figures, and provide this plate withperipheral teeth, so that in clfect it forms a gearwheel engaging withthe pinion D The pin-' ion D derives a rotary motion in the same way asthe pinion D in the example of my improvement which /is illustrated inFig. 5.

In Fig. 7 l haveshownatape or ribbon which cepting only that I The otherend is fastened at one end to a' pinextending from the follower orpusher through a longitudinal slot in the magazine. This tape or ribbonpasses around a guide, d, like that which is shown in thefirst-described example of my improvement. The outer end of the tape orribbon is not, however, connected to the follower or pusher, but 13connected to a spring, d.

This spring will move the tape or ribbon in one direction when it ispermitted so to do by the follower or pusher. In the other d-irectionthe tape or ribbon will, however,-.be moved by a pull exerted throughthe follower or pusher.

In Fig. 8 I have shown that instead of having the slot 1) of the coverit and provide travel in.

It will be seen that in all examples of my improvement a tape or ribbonconnected to the follower or pusher serves to cause the display of thetigu res on theindicatorsuccessively.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-- 1. The combination, with a magazine fire arm, of an indicatorbearing figures arranged upon one side of the magazine, a movable l'olaspace for the pin b to lower or pusher, and atape or. mhbon con-- nectedwith the to cause the display cator successively, substantially followeror pusher and serving of the figures on the indias specified.

magazine open, I may 2. The combination, with a magazine fire-'- arinhaving its magazine providOdwith a longitudinal slot, of a strip bearingfigures and connected through said slot to the follo'wer or pusher ofthe magazine, substantially as speci-.

3. The combination, with a magazine fire arm having its magazineprovided with a 1011- gitudinal slot, of a tape or ribbon bearing figures passing around guides and having its ends connected through theslot of the magazine to the follower or pusher of the magazine,substantially as specified.

EDlV. S. BUTLER.

\Vitncsses:

D. H. DRISCOLL, M. J. Boson.

